Tbilisi. In various corners of the world the documentarians, students and ordinary people make video stories during 24 hours about their own countries and experience. Based on this unique material, the documentary "One Day on Earth" will be produced. The first shooting took place on 10 October 2010 (10.10.10), the second – on 11 November 2011 (11.11.11), and this year the shootings are planned on December 12 (12.12.12).Students of the Theatrical University and the Ilia University will make the video stories and send them to the film directors. Along with other international organizations, this process in Georgia is supported by the UN Development Program. Source: cenn

Tbilisi. The Memorandum of Mutual Cooperation was signed on December 11 between the Georgian Small and Medium Enterprise Association and the Technology Transfer Center of Georgia. The Memorandum provides for including the small and medium companies in the innovation projects, rendering technical assistance, improving access to technologies for the micro, small and medium enterprises, and the technology transfer process from the research areas to the economic sector. Further, it covers the conferences, seminars, and formation of working groups for the interested persons to create the network of knowledge on innovations in the small and medium business.Source: Small and Medium Enterprise Association

Tbilisi. The Georgian Small and Medium Enterprise Association has released the statement, which is quoted below unchanged. "The information disseminated by the Revenue Service last week about the activation of control purchases has triggered mixed reactions. We would like to inform the entrepreneurs that the Georgian Small and Medium Enterprise Association continues working with the Ministry of Finance to soften the fines and sanctions. The state is ready for this to a certain extent in order to simplify the operations of the business, but at the same time the fines must be adequate of respective violations.In respect of any questions the Association is ready to consult each entrepreneur and provide information on legislative requirements. Based on the rule of law principle, the Association also calls on the entrepreneurs to observe the requirements of the law and always use cash registers, thus avoiding the risk of being fined." Source: Small and Medium Enterprise Association

ShidaKartli. The civic clubs of the Surami Public Schools I and III held the joint cleaning event – "Let's Clean the Streets from Election Posters".After receiving the written permission from the KhashuriGamgebeli to hold the cleaning event, teh club members have cooperated among each other and jointly planned to clean the Surami streets from the election posters. The schoolchildren have gathered in the Surami center at 2 pm and carried out the initiative on their own.The cleaning event lasted for 3 hours - a huge section of D. Aghmashenebeli Street and the territory adjacent to the Surami Central Park was cleaned. In view of successful partnership as part of this event, the club members have become friends and hope that similar joint activities will continue and become systematic.

Guria. The Lanchkhuti Information Center became a full member of the European Network of Training Organizations (ENTO) under the auspices of the Council of Europe. The Lanchkhuti Information Center addressed the relevant structure with the affiliation request some time ago.The General Assembly of ENTO held on 16 November 2012 in Paris has admitted the organization as a permanent member. "We are pleased that your organization has joined ENTO, which unites the training organizations of other European states. We believe that your affiliation will contribute to our joint future activities", – says the letter sent by the President of ENTO Boris Bakota to the Lanchkhuti Information Center.

Adjara. On December 5, NGO "Borjghali" and the union promoting the development and cooperation "Progress" have organized in the "Intourist Palace" Hotel the volunteers' forum dedicated to the International Volunteer Day. According to the organizers of the forum, volunteerism is a novelty for the Georgian reality and therefore it requires popularization. There are up to 200 volunteers currently in the Adjara Region, who have undertaken the training courses in the "Volunteers' School" founded by NGO "Borjghali". The "students" of this School act as volunteers in various local organizations, where they have the opportunity to expose knowledge gained in the "Volunteers' School". Apart from the volunteers, the forum was attended by the students and representatives of local state, NGO and media organizations.

Samegrelo. CSO "New generation – New Initiative" has organized the opening of the European Corner in Poti, implemented as part of the project "Georgia in Europe". Meeting participants were also briefed about the EU and the project "Georgia in Europe".At the first stage of the project "Georgia in Europe", NGO "New Generation – New Initiative" organized the auto-tour on the European Neighborhood Policy and the Georgia-EU integration, where during the meetings with the population seminars were delivered concerning the process of Georgia's Euro-integration and the EU in general.The project is implemented in partnership with the organization "European Partnership for Democracy" (EPD) and financial support of the Netherlands.For the full text.Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. The founder of the Open Society Foundations, the financier and philanthropist George Soros has paid a private visit to Tbilisi on December 1-2. As part of the visit, George Soros met with the management of the "Open Society - Georgia" Foundation – the Executive Board and the Director. In addition, to discuss the existing political reality, George Soros met with the political leaders – President Mikheil Saakashvili, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and the Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili. At the meeting, the management of the Foundation and George Soros have summarized the Foundation's work in recent years and discussed the future priorities. For the full text. Source: osgf.ge

Tbilisi. CSO "Radarami" launches the contest "Read and Get Involved in a Dialogue", as part of which the organization offers to devoted readers a chance to write impressions and opinions on one of the four (or all four) books already published by Radarami. Persons participating in the contest must send the book overviews at info@radarami.org or write on the Facebook page. The "Radarami" staff and Facebook will reveal the most interesting 5 reviews. Five winners will be awarded with a set of "Radarami"-published books. In addition, upon interest these persons will be involved in the presentation campaign of the new books in various regions of Georgia. For the full text. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. On November27, the CSO "New Generation – New Initiative" has awarded the winners of the essay contest announced as part of the project "Georgia in Europe". The Head of the EC Delegation to Georgia, the Ambassador FilipDimitrov has attended the award ceremony.250 youngsters of 17-21 years of age Georgia-wide have participated in the essay competition announced as part of the project "Georgia in Europe", only 3 of which have been named winners. During the first phase of the project, meetings on the EU-related topics were held with the resident populations in 10 regions of Georgia - Kvemo and ShidaKartli, Kakheti, Imereti, Guria, Adjara, Samegrelo and Samtskhe-Javakheti. Experts working on the EU, European Neighborhood Policy and the EU Integration of Georgia have participated in the information campaigns. Information materials were disseminated. For the full text. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Kakheti. "New Generation – New Initiative" has organized on November 28 the opening of the European Corner in the Telavi University. The experts working on the EU, EU Neighborhood Policy and Georgia's EU Integration and the university students have attended the opening ceremony.In 2012 it is planned to open similar corners in another 4 university cities of Georgia (Batumi, Poti, Kutaisi and Akhaltsikhe). The project is implemented in partnership with the organization "European Partnership for Democracy" (EPD) and financial support of the Netherlands. For the full text. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi.The Founder of the Open Society Foundations George Soros will pay a private visit to Tbilisi. In response to the public interest, the "Open Society – Georgia” Foundation has released a statement. "We would like to state that this visit is unofficial, aimed at meeting with the Foundation’s management, summarizing of the organization’s work in the recent years and discussing the future strategy. It is not excluded that in order to get familiar with the new political reality, Mr. George Soros meets the political leaders as well”, – says the statement released by the "Open Society – Georgia” Foundation. For the full text Source: osgf.ge

Shida Kartli. The Memorandum of Mutual Cooperation was executed on November 27 between the attorney bureau "OK&CG” and the not-for-profit (non-commercial) legal entity Youth Cultural-Educational Center of the Gori Municipality. By executing this Memorandum, the attorney bureau and the Gori Youth Cultural-Educational Center plan to promote through mutual cooperation the development of the civil society within the Gori Municipality by delivering public lectures, discussions or various activities. Along with executing the Memorandum, the attorneys delivered the public lecture on human rights and obligations. The public lecture was delivered in the Gori Youth Center and was attended by a rather broad audience interested in the human rights and obligations: the civic club members of the Gori Public Schools #5 and #7 and the Karaleti Public School. As part of the public lecture, the presentation was made on the notion of human rights and obligations and their interrelation, as well as on the mechanisms of protection of these rights as Georgia-wide, as well as at an international level. Based on the activities demonstrated in the course of the lecture, several schoolchildren were selected who were granted the status of a friend of the attorney bureau.

Tbilisi. ISFED released a statement on the developments in the Martvili Gamgeoba, in which it expressed utmost concern about the actions carried out in the building of Martvili Municipality Gamgeoba. According to ISFED, a large-scale rally was held in the Martvili Municipality on November 26 that demanded the resignation of the Municipality Gamgebeli and the Chair of Sakrebulo. The rally was attended by the supporters of the "Georgian Dream" coalition and the leaders of the local office of this political union. "The rally took an unlawful form when the citizens occupied the Gamgeoba building, thus paralyzing the functioning of Gamgeoba and damaging the part of inventory. The participants left the building after the police were involved. Currently the supporters of the "Georgian Dream" coalition block the entrance of the Gamgeoba building", – the statement says. The statement notes that the illegal actions against the local self-government authorities must be investigated without delay and the participant offenders must be punished in line with requirements of the Georgian legislation. For the full text. Source: the organization's official page in the social network.

Tbilisi. The EU Delegation in Georgia has extended the deadline for submitting the works for the 3-minute films festival.Those interested in participating in the contest can submit works until 5 pm on November 30.The 3-minute films festival is a new initiative of the EU Delegation in Georgia, through which the EU offers the Georgian youngsters of 14-25 years of age to shoot through the mobile phones 3-minute films and thus reflect the results of the EU-Georgia cooperation by themselves.Interested persons can get familiar with the contest rules at the following web page www.eu3min.ge. For the full text. Source:eeas.europa.eu/delegations/georgia

Tbilisi. The study was conducted at the initiative of the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), which is based on the global rating of freedom of information developed by the NGOs Access Info Europe (Spain) and The Centre for Law and Democracy (Canada). The rating aims to analyze and assess the domestic legislation regulating freedom of information in various states. According to the rating, the Serbian legislation on freedom of information tops the list, while the Georgian legislation occupies 30th place with 94 points.On the basis of this very global rating, the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has compared the respective Serbian and Georgian legislations, aimed at revealing those general, institutional and procedural components that secure the leading position of the Serbian legislation in the field of freedom of information. On the other hand, if taking into account the mentioned components, Georgian legislation will have a chance to take the openness of and access to public information to the leading positions. The Study. Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. On November 22, the delegation will visit Georgia from the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan states and Poland, which will discuss with the Georgian colleagues the visa liberalization issues with the EU. The meeting will take off in the "Courtyard Marriott" Hotel at 10 am. Meeting participants will discuss the visa-free movement with the EU and the experience of the western Balkan states in this regard. The coalition uniting organizations from Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia will discuss the monitoring of action plan for visa liberalization and judge the coalition's strategy. The European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom will hand over the action plan for visa liberalization to the Government of Georgia in the beginning of December 2012. Moldova and Ukraine have already received the action plan. NGOs of these two countries already carry out monitoring of this document. Effective methods of monitoring of this action plan will be discussed at the meeting. A brief analytical document, the so-called Policy Brief will be drafted as a result of the meeting. The coalition plans to monitor the fulfillment of the action plan for visa liberalization immediately after its handover to Georgia. Granting action plan to Georgia is regarded as a significant step towards visa-free movement with the EU. For the full text. Source:osgf.ge

Shida Kartli. The representatives of the Gori Youth Center have celebrated the International Day for Tolerance on November 16. They have organized three events dedicated to this day in various places. In particular, they have delivered a seminar and showed videos on the topic of tolerance in the Verkhvebi IDP settlement, followed by the discussion of examined topics.Youngsters of the Center and the schoolchildren of Public School #7 have organized the artistic evening for the children with disabilities, which propagated the idea of tolerance and equality. The third event organized by the Center’s representatives was the performance held in the Davit Chubinishvili Culture Center. NodarDumbadze’s story "Helados” was performed. These events were organized as part of the project of the United Nations Association of Georgia, supported by the US Agency for International Development.

Imereti. The Kutaisi Development and Education Center has celebrated the International Day for Tolerance on November 16. The event titled "I’m Tolerant, and You?” was organized in the city. The schoolchildren participating in the event have organized the march with transparencies and made the live chain.The event was organized as part of the "Advancing National Integration in Georgia” program, implemented by the United Nations Association of Georgia, with financial support of the US Agency for International Development.The International Day for Tolerance is celebrated worldwide since 1995.

Adjara. On November 13, the Civil Society Institute and the Batumi Civic Engagement Center have organized a public discussion in the Batumi Civic Engagement Center on the "Challenges of local NGOs and participation in the formation of ongoing policy in the region”. The meeting aimed to identify the problems and challenges facing the CSOs, to share the experience among each other in working with the state agencies, as well as to develop the mechanisms of partnership/participation between the local organizations and the government within the framework of formation of the region’s policy.Local NGOs and media representatives have participated in the discussion.

Tbilisi. On November12 the office of the Caucasus Institute has hosted the workshop on the students’ debates. During the meeting the students of various Tbilisi-based universities got familiar with the rules and topics, under which they will debate on November 25.The meeting was organized by the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development. Student debates are organized as part of the project "Civil Society for Development: Decentralization and Participation in Georgia”, with the financial support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For full text. Source:participate.ge

Kakheti.The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the CSO "Media Center Kakheti” and the Gmina Pluzhnitsa Development Association – Poland on the cooperation in Gurjaani.According to the Director of "Media Center Kakheti” Maia Mamulashvili, pursuant to the memorandum executed between the organizations, the organizations will exchange information and share their experience on the implemented and planned projects:"Signing the Memorandum is extremely important, as this will result in close contacts with one of the strongest NGO networks of Poland, Pluzhnitsa. In the future we will initiate and implement joint projects.”According to the Head of Gmina Pluzhnitsa Development Association Miroslava Tomashik, they will support various initiatives.